6 Shocking reasons why you may be losing your hair

My hair has been through hell this past year. I experienced some pretty crappy heat damage that I didn't even realize I had. For weeks I tried washing my hair in hopes that my curly pattern would come back, but it didn't. Instead I was finding myself in the shower with strands of wet hair in my hands. So of course I freaked out!

It wasn't until I started talking to a ton of experts that I discovered that my change in texture and my hair thinning, was all of a result of serious heat damage caused by basically curling my semi-damp hair with a curling iron. BIG mistake, right? But hair damage, whether it's from hot styling tools or bleaching, certainly isn't the only thing that can trigger hair loss. Your hair can fall out for a ton of reasons you'd never even imagine was the case, like lack of vitamins or a serious health condition. Losing your hair? Here are six reasons why you might be seeing less hair on your head!

Physical stress: You may not realize it, but stress could be a huge factor when it comes to hair loss. I remember mines thinning out during finals week my senior year of college. It happens! "When you have a really stressful event, it can shock the hair cycle, [pushing] more hair into the shedding phase," Marc Glashofer MD, a dermatologist in New York City, told Health magazine.

Trauma: Then there's Telogen Effluvim, which occurs after pregnancy, major surgery, drastic weight loss or extreme stress. It's basically when you start shedding large bunches of hair every single day. But according to Prevention magazine, "It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs."

Too much vitamin A: I've heard that lack of vitamins could make you lose hair, but I never knew that taking in too much vitamin A could have the same effect. Apparently overdoing vitamin A can easily trigger hair loss. Try not to have more than 5,000 International Units (IU) of vitamins A per day.

Lack of protein: There's a reason why protein has become an essential ingredient in many hair products and treatments today--because if you don't get enough of it, it will show in your hair. It will make it weaker, stop growth and even cause thinning. Make sure you're having plenty of protein a day from fish, meat and eggs. But if you're not a fan of animal products, there are plenty of foods out there that are rich in protein like beans, green peas, quinoa, nuts, edamame, tofu and hemp seeds.

Food allergies: Allergic to dairy, wheat or soy? Well, apparently, certain food intolerances can cause your hair to fall out. A serious allergic reaction affects the immune system and can contribute to scalp problems like Alopecia Areata among others. Isn't that scary? Good thing it's not common!

Hair damage:Doing too much to your hair whether it's heat-styling, chemical straighteners (like relaxers or the Brazilian Keratin treatment), or coloring can definitely weaken hair, causing it to break and eventually fall out. In fact, most times it's because that person is doing a combination of damage like coloring and blow-drying. If it's just damage, you'll experience more thinning rather than massive clumps of hair falling out. There's a number of things you can do to reverse the damage too. I'd recommend getting a haircut first, doing a deep treatment every single week, keeping hair moisturize, laying low on the heat but use protective products when necessary, and taking a break from chemical processing.